If people were as intelligent as you there would be very little in the "Classified" section.

 

Not quite sure what you mean to be honest

EDIT - never mind i know what you mean now i think, the classified section on this forum
very new to the forum so didn't see the section

 

Basically many people go through the entire process of starting a t-shirt business without any real thought to the only question that matters - how am I going to sell this stuff?

Next you see a post about no traffic on their site and/or no sales and last they sell their equipment for pennies on the dollar.

This market is saturated. The day of putting up a site, doing a little SEO and making sales are long long gone. In my opinion unless you have a niche market to target you will get lost in the general t-shirt market.

Until you have a rock solid sales/marketing plan do not waste a dime on anything else.

 

I understand completely and wouldn't have it any other way,
Im looking into this very deep and making sure i have everything covered before thinking about making any real moves

 

Even if you figure out why people will want to buy your products, you still need to figure out how and where they will buy your products. So maybe that's a good place to start. Because if you can figure out the "how" and "where," the "why" may fall into place. For instance, you may decide to sell shirts at local high school football games. So you may end up coming up with designs that relate to those events. And that may be the reason why people choose to buy your shirts.

 

For how and where i had a few ideas, the main ones such as facebook, twitter, ebay, creating a website, there are plenty of markets around my area that i could set up a stall, going into stores and ask them what they look for in clothing and what makes them stock the stuff they do.
Trying to get people who are being "seen" wear my clothes.

Like i say im in the real early stages of planning so far and want to get everything covered before i start to make any real moves

thanks for the reply

 

On the other hand, you can seriously over-rationalize any plan or decision, and talk yourself out of entering the biz, or convince yourself you've got a sure-fire winner when it's just old ideas in a pretty new wrapper.

For (extreme) example, suppose I plan to enter the niche market of printing nekkid women on t-shirts. I can rationalize till the cows come home over *why* people would buy these shirts, but in fact, virtually no one will, for one thing because few people will wear a t-shirt with a nekkid woman on it. Just because people might take notice doesn't mean there's a business there.

Often times the why is too ephemeral to articulate, or is innately understood. I just returned from a local store that sells a lot of printed shirts from The Mountain. They're a brand, but rather than touting their name, they concentrate on the content of the shirts, which in the case of this store is wolves and Indian imagery. If you've ever seen any of their shirts, and if you're in the kind of store I was in, you don't have to ask why you'd want one.

I applaud your thoroughness in thinking things through, but also don't forget your gut, or your dreams.

 

I have seen them before and yes they are awesome
Maybe i should meet in the middle, cover all aspects but don't over think it and just follow my gut (like you said)
I mean my uncle said if i came to him with a clear business plan or some kind of plan that looks good he would invest into me as long as i don't mess him about

 

Consumers don't normally use Facebook and Twitter to buy products. Those would be marketing tools, but not a method of converting sales. eBay and a website are good, but they will be sales portals. You would still need to generate exposure, drive traffic and convert sales. There is more to the "why" and "how" than what you answered. Offline sales at markets in your area is more along the lines of what I was referring to. Check out what's there. What do people buy, how much do they spend, etc. Find the holes in the market and go after them.

 

ahh you meant more about "how" along the lines of how will people know about my products such as marketing and advertisement.

That makes sense, but yeah like you said my advertisement was going to be starting out with facebook, twitter, blogging is a possibility, telling all my friends and people i know and hopefully it will spread, getting people like minor celebrity or major if possible, or people who will have influence over fans and such.

Market stall, try to get my clothing into a store that sells all sorts of brands.

eBay is another way to sell ad kind of advertise so if they paid for a product off eBay the next time they might go direct to my website if i make one

Thanks alot for the help, if you have more advice in general that you think i should think about when first starting out like i am it would be very much appreciated

 

Everything you listed, Facebook, eBay, Twitter, etc etc. are all the exact same things thousands of like people have tried and the vast majority have failed. Think about it - how are you going to get people to find you on Facebook, Twitter, ebay, blogs, etc? So many before you and many after your simply think you can create a Facebook, Twitter, eBay, website, and blog and people will somehow find them. Doesn't happen.

There are 10's of thousands doing the same thing diluting the effectiveness. That is why picking a niche is critical when starting. If you do a little homework Adwords is a great tool if you go after a specific niche.

A reputable store will not want your shirts in their store unless you have a success story. Every sq foot in a store must create revenue. If you are not a known brand you are going to have to convince a store owner you can drive traffic through their doors.

Before you take your uncles money and potentially ruin a relationship have someone make a few shirts, create your Facebook, Twitter, ebay, etc and start the process.

There is an old saying I learned in an advanced marketing class many years ago that one should live by - sell it then make it.

It is great to have dreams but when you have to borrow other peoples money especially a family member those dreams better be made from reality.

 

Ok I see your point. I suppose I just thought it would work. I will just sit on it for now and plan until I think its worth going ahead, maybe make a facebook and twitter and get a small following, put up some designs and as you say sell it then make it, sounds good right?

 

Exactly! Prove to investors that you have something to invest in other than an idea. You can start selling and marketing your ideas with very little money. Worst thing that happens is you sell shirts and have to make them which really is not an issue as many people on this forum outsource their work for people like you.

Good Luck

 

Thanks alot, i feel abit better about it now, i know its still going to be very hard, but i will make sure its all worth it.

 

But i think that what i said is probably what every other clothing brand says, i dont have anything major to set me apart from the other millions of people doing the same thing.

How can i get around this problem ?

Because if i can't get around this problem im not sure i should even start until i can answers this

Such a great question and important way of looking at things!

Those may be the 2 most important questions to answer for yourself before launching a clothing line.

Once you have them answered (by finding a niche and executing it in an original or better way), you will have a MUCH easier time at marketing and advertising your product.

Twitter/Facebook/social media can work to help market your products but that's only one part of how you can get the word out. Advertising and creating a remarkable product is still a way to get people to notice you and remember you (and hopefully buy)

But I think you're right. If you don't have those 2 questions answers, it might not be worth it to move forward.

That's not to say that you have to have the perfect answer for both and a 20 page business plan, but you should know that just having a "brand name" that is cool and a Facebook/Twitter page doesn't equal sales.

 

Hey there!

Great thread, This is where people stumble. As some of the previous posters said, "People think with a FB, Twitter, Store etc that they will sell a ton of shirts." Think of it as a consumer. When i'm buying clothes, what makes it an impulse buy for me. Also as far as marketing..... I use a larger company, and yes I know everyones budget dosen't work. But one thing I can tell you is, get in with some people that are sucessful, and don't hate, EMULATE! Learn from your marketing, track everything and promote wherever you can.
When i first started I took a hit right of the gate, marketing, threw a launch party, and then basically was giving away shirts. But then little by little the exposure was coming in. Now by no means am I going to quit my day job yet, but slow and steady wins the race, I make a profit now and just waiting until the day I can get off this 9-5 and do what i love.

Best advice I can give anyone, NEVER GIVE UP!

-Zack

 

You posed a very general question in asking "Why should people buy my products?"

People is...a lot of people (~7 billion). Have you put much thought into which people you would like to buy your product. The most successful brands have a very narrow audience. It changes the question entirely to ask it with a specific audience in mind.

Why would middle aged male soy bean farmers from the mid-west that own several John Deer tractors buy my products?

Now you can differentiate. Now you can make the "great designs" you are providing speak to that audience. Now you can figure out where those people are and target them.

 

I just recently sold my bath and body (organic) business and had more business than I could handle and then became burnt out, however I entered it in a hugely over saturated market and did well. " to get rich, own the niche" was a mantra I learned and it is very valid. I am going to do some tshirt , decor things but more of a hobby. With my bath business, I cannot imagine not have doing a market analysis, profitability , pricing and etc models. Imdont think I would have sunk and quick. Good luck!

 

i don't get why some shirts sell like hotcakes and better designs, at least in my opinion, die on the vine. actually, i do get it, it's in the marketing. the 'advice' goes, 'people don't buy shirts, they buy art.' and i think that's probably true when the playing field is level: otherwise, i think people buy into the marketing just as much as anything else.

someone mentioned that it takes seven 'hits' for people to take notice of you. for example, seeing your ad on facebook is a 'hit,' seeing it on a billboard is another, seeing it written in the sky is another. while i'm not totally on board with this idea 100%, i think there are potentially many variables involved that doesn't cover a broad statement like that, at least it's *some* kind of baseline to work off of. our problem is that garnering those 'hits' isn't like trying to sell used cars, where you'd have a lot different 'hit' avenues. that's our challenge.

 

Research! Research! Research! Forget your gut. Find a niche that is "an inch wide and a mile deep". How? Spend ~$60 on Market Samarai and buy a subscription to Spyfu for a few months. Delve down into specific key words. Find out what "the big boys" are spending in that segment in ad words. Your niche could be a hobby or interest. Go to Barnes and Noble and buy a whole bunch of tightly focused magazines. Check out their classifieds if they have them. Find a very small niche that you can add value to. I'm putting together a manual which will give a step by step process of testing your market. You gotta find something that sells FIRST, then plan your business. And before you even THINK about buying a piece of equipment, go to a major trade show ISSShows.com, the NBM shows, and the SGIA Expo which is in 2 weeks in Las Vegas. Keep your job and do not get in a hurry!

 

well, i would *think* about equipment, but more in terms of a goal. most businesses involve investment and risk, it's the planning that a lot of folk are missing. as mentioned, you might get a good deal on equipment, and if you coupled that with making shirts for other people, the investment should get paid off with little risk depending on the effort you put into it. in terms of investment and risk, i think it's fair to expect some kind of expenses depending on what route you choose.

just as a point of clarification, 'sell it first, then make it,' shouldn't imply to ppl that they don't need to have their methods of production in place *and tested* first. it seems like a common sense thing, but, you know, not everyone shares the same sensibilities as i do, as evidenced by who they vote for, lol. most ppl don't have a business background, and the notion of marketability is new to them. for example, i'll use my local area as a test market ~ if i can't sell my designs to people around me, i'll have to re-envision the concepts i have in mind until i make it work on a small scale before investing in more expensive marketing and production means (i have what i need for *now*, but that's not to say i have no future plans for equipment if i can justify it).